It would be unethical for an employee professional member to start a consulting practice by:

It would be unethical for an employee professional member to start a consulting practice by:

• A. Taking along one or more of the former employer's client lists.
• B. Informing the former employer before leaving.
• C. Seeking consent from the clients before moving.
• D. Not offering to take any clients.

Answer: (A)

Respect for confidentiality and fair competition is the key idea. Client lists are confidential information that belong to the former employer and reflect the employer’s established client relationships. Taking those lists to start your own consulting practice uses privileged information to seed your business, which undermines trust, breaches fiduciary duties to the employer, and can violate professional codes that protect client privacy and proprietary information. That misappropriation is why it’s considered unethical to begin a consulting practice in that way. In contrast, informing the former employer before leaving is a professional courtesy, seeking consent from clients before moving can be appropriate in some situations to protect relationships, and choosing not to take any clients avoids ethical issues entirely.

Respect for confidentiality and fair competition is the key idea. Client lists are confidential information that belong to the former employer and reflect the employer’s established client relationships. Taking those lists to start your own consulting practice uses privileged information to seed your business, which undermines trust, breaches fiduciary duties to the employer, and can violate professional codes that protect client privacy and proprietary information. That misappropriation is why it’s considered unethical to begin a consulting practice in that way.

In contrast, informing the former employer before leaving is a professional courtesy, seeking consent from clients before moving can be appropriate in some situations to protect relationships, and choosing not to take any clients avoids ethical issues entirely.